This invention relates to a keyless seal lock having a reusable lock body.
Padlock-type seal locks have been used to provide protection against theft and unauthorized entry. Such seal locks typically include a shackle and a lock body. The seal lock is applied by inserting the shackle in the lock body and closing the lock like a padlock. Typically these locks are keyless and can only be removed by deforming the lock itself. Since the lock must be deformed to be opened, it can not be surreptitiously opened and reclosed, as can a conventional padlock.
The seal locks described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,602,538 (Canter) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,507 (McCoag) are two examples of such seal locks. Both the Canter and the McCoag locks employ shackles which are secured to keyless lock bodies. In both cases the seal lock may be removed by severing the shackle without deforming the lock body. However, in both cases the severed ends of the shackle may not readily be removed from the lock body without deforming the lock body itself. Since the shackle ends may not readily be removed, the lock body may not be reused. Thus, the entire seal lock is nonreusable, and after the shackle has been cut to open the lock, the entire lock, including both the body and shackle, must be replaced. In many applications the high cost of replacing the entire seal lock each time the seal is broken is a disadvantage which has limited the use of seal locks.